two men sentenced to death for war crimes committed during bangladesh's war for independence. hello, you are watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead - more fighting in the eastern democratic republic of congo. soldiers are accusing rebs else of -- rebels of war crimes during their retreat. >> former president mohamed morsi - a visit from the u.s.

secretary of state. >> i'm kath turner in new york where officials are battling two unprecedented events - hurricane sandy, and the two boston marathon bombings. let's take you straight to cairo, where the u.s. secretary of state john kerry is holding a press conference with the egyptian foreign minister. i believe that we are listening to nazar speaking. >>... we believe that they are important for egypt. we'd like to further enhance this relationship in the interests of both countries, based on the priorities of each country. this afternoon, mr secretary, you are due to meet with the president and general abdul fatah al-sisi. for our part here at the foreign ministerry, we held constructive, frank and detailed

construction of various issues and discussed how to move things forward in the interests of both countries. i affirm egypt's desire to have good and point of view relationship with the united states, based on our own priorities. >> translation: we'll open the floor for questions and then meet the president. >> we'll give the secretary a chance to speak, and after that questions from the audience. >> thank you. well minister, thank you very much. thank you for your welcome back here. in egypt. thank you for your welcome. you and i have talked frequently

on the telephone, and we know each other... (overspoken by interpreter). apologies we are having translation issues. we can't hear what kerry is saying in english. let's cross to our correspondent sue turton, who has been standing by in cairo. sum up for us what the foreign minister was saying before we came in to the press conference. sue, we were trying to listen in to what john kerry was saying. we were having translation

issues. could you sum up for us what we were hearing from the egyptian foreign minister earlier? >> yes, all we heard really so far is a welcome. the foreign minister really saying that they are trying to improve bilateral relations. those relations strained in the last month since the u.s. put a temporary freeze on a lot of military aid passed to egypt on an annual basis, because of concerns the u.s. has regarding the democracy. not since the interim government since mohamed morsi was ousted over the summer. the message from the foreign minister is that we are trying to improve relations. we heard a snippet from the u.s. secretary of state john kerry saying they've been talking over the phone. we know relations - they've tried to keep the relations going. the message out of the egyptian government over the

last couple of days is, "we are looking beyond the u.s. for security feeds." there's a lot of funny from the gulf states, billions pledged since the ousting of mohamed morsi to the egyptian government for all sorts of different areas. of course, a lot of military aid is coming through to egypt, and so much pressure coming from israel that the sinai peninsula is being held. there's a growing mill tansy in that area. the u.s. said we will keep the aid coming for that specific area. there's talk that they want to withhold the aid. they are re-looking at the situation. they are not seeing anything so far showing that the egyptian government is listening to the pressure to improve the democratic principles and growing on - the crackdown on the free bres and the muslim brotherhood. the thousands of people

incarcerated - not charged or expecting a trial date soon. >> relations are ongoing. the message from egypt is we could look beyond the u.s. there was talk of moscow, a diplomatic mission to moscow over the last week, where discussions about various things, including the military situation were discussed. we are hearing from moscow that the russians are looking fort partners in the med terrainium, because of what happened in the harbour, where there's russian naval ships. there's a problem with the civil war going on in syria. there's new discussions going on. the egyptian government talked about looking for multiple partners. that's a discussion that john kerry has been having with the egyptians. >> thank you for wrapping that up for us.

i'll be keeping an eye on the press conference, and bringing you the highlights as we get them. >> now, two men have been sentenced to death for war crimes committed during bangladesh's war for independence. they've been found guilty in their absence for the murder of more than a dozen intellectuals in 1971. one of the men, chowdhury mueen-uddin is a prominent leader living in the u.k. he fled after the end of the 9-month war. the other defendant, ashrafuz zaman khan lives in the united states. we spoke to the lawyer of both accused, toby caddman. he says chowdhury mueen-uddin is under no obligation to return to face the death penalty. >> two convicted individuals in absenta and sentence them to death is deplorable. you may have seen no defense evidence was called whatsoever.

my clients have no light to appeal and rather than seek extradition before the trial started the government decided to forego that and go for a sensationalist victory, which has more to do with the upcoming election. to say that they fled is unfair characterisation of what happened. they both supported the unity of pakistan on a political standpoint. neither of them supported the military action, and they have distanced themselves from that. chowdhury mueen-uddin, for example, has returned several times to bangladesh over the last 40 years, has never attempted to conceal his whereabouts, and has not shied away from these allegations. he has said quite openly, to this news station and publicly that he is quite prepared to put

himself before a credible judicial process, but this is not a credible judicial process. >> intense fighting between m23 rebels and the military outside the democratic republic of congo. the rebels control only three hill areas near the rwandan border after losing their strong hold of bunagana last week. soldiers accused them of committing atrocities during their retreat. malcolm webb has this report from rumanagabo in the eastern drc. >> this patch of bush next to a former m23 rebel base look like any other of the something more sirns lies within. the soldier leads us to the body of a man lying in a shallow grave. >> he clearly died recently. the smell is unpleasant and he looks like he was tied up with his arms behind his back and legs tied together the moment he

died. there was blood coming from his head. nearby soldiers and villagers say four more bodies were visible before rain buried them in mud. there was more throughout the bush. it's next to a barracks that the rebels took from the government a year ago. a few days ago the rebels fled and the army took them in. they said the m23 executed its prisoners. we tried to contact m23, but they have not answered phone calls since government forces took their stronghold. >> for those living around the m23 base, living with them was tough. >> they had prisoners there. they killed them all. >> translation: they'd beat people for nothing and arrest

people, make them disappear. >> the largest peacekeeping forces have been helping the government fight m23. the u.n. has not managed to stop atrocities. they'll find out what happened. >> translation: we know that bodies have been found in the area. it has been controlled by the m23 for one year, and he has been taken by the army a few days ago. >> on the u.n. side we are forming a team. from the results we'll tell you what we discovered. >> the government says it's investigating too. war crimes are common in congo's conflict. the full story may never be uncovered. . in northern yemen more heavy fighting a being reported as shia muslim rebels attack a stronghold. a tribal leader says 100 people

have been killed in fighting around damaj. ambulances can't get to the town to treat civilian casualties. we have this report from sanneh. >> this is the only video we have of the latest fighting in the town of damaj. it's a stronghold for muslim conservatives - the salafi. they have been shelled by shia houthi rebels. the houthi say it's home to religious conservative parties. >> translation: these are foreign extreme its who consider us her etices, they reject us and are calling for jihad against the hewitties and are trying -- hewitties, and are trying to drag the country into a sunni war.

>> they were a marginal group, but they are now one of the biggest armed factions in yemen. they have all sorts of weapons, including tanks, artillery and rocket launches. the yemeni government accused iran of backing the houthis to destablilize the country. >> salafi in sanneh made it clear that they were angry. they want the government to stand in the army to protect civilians and end the fighting. it's too late for some people, this man from damaj. two of his sons were killed in the fighting. his house destroyed. he's furious. >> we will fight. it will be sectarian war across the country, we'll revenge our loved ones. >> the country has been weakened by years of instability.

the deposit is under pressure to step in and restore order. >> yemeni is a country divided along sectarian lines. if the fighting continues in damaj, it could slip towards civil war, likely to end hopes of building a democratic yemen. >> still to come on the program - suffering from malnutrition, malian refugees in moray tainia say they are not receiving essential food supplies.

m23 rebel fighters in the democratic republic of congo are being accused of committing

atrocities. the congoingees army says bodies are being discovered in freshly dug graves. fighting is being reported near the city of goma. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry is in egypt for his first visit since the overthroe of mohamed morsi. he stressed u.s.'s commitment to help egypt, saying they were a friend and partner of the egyptian people. john kerry is due to visit israel and the west bank. his trip part of an effort to revise peace talks between israel and the palestinians. we have this report from the west bank. palestinians are losing hope there's anything left for them to gain. >> it was not like this 10 years ago. now this is the only way home. living in a prison would be easier. here he and his family faced a threat of harassment from jewish settlers and the israeli army.

>> we live inside the wall, not behind or next to it. inside it. i am surrounded by gates. on each gate is a mortal danger zone. imagine what that is like. >> the separation wall surrounds his house. to show you what it means. it's over at the back, going across the side and the front. he's isolated. you have a settlement down the road, another on the hill, and here when we come to his garden there's a settlement literally across the way. it's an extreme example reflecting the reality of ever-expanding israeli settlements. israeli government approved thousands of units. they were out raged by the release of prisoners held for more than 20 years. there's a feeling that since

prime minister benyamin netanyahu never agreed to stop building settlements to return to the u.s. brokered peace talks that the talks were a failure from the start. >> he does not want to the withdraw from jerusalem or talk about refugees. there'll be israeli presence in the territories of the palestine state, and, therefore, the actual fact is that they want to maintain the de facto situation and call it a two-state solution. >> it's a sentiment echoed by this man. he says israel has taken it all. he mockingly calls his fenced in home the independent state of hami amed. >> the government of the pakistani government bordering

afghanistan has threatened to block nato routes. the pakistan government will review ties and cooperation with the u.s. we have more from islamabad. >> the pakistani government is outraged at the drone strike which killed hakimullah mehsud, the leader of the pakistani taliban. they, of course, are less angry that hakimullah mehsud is dead, a man that carried out extraordinary attacks against the pakistani states, claiming thousands of lives. they are angry he was killed in a u.s. drone strike. he is a critic of the drone operation led by the u.s.'s c.i.a. agency. they, of course, say that they want to review the relationship between pakistan and the u.s. in light of the drone strike, calling it an ambush on the peace process which was about to begin between the pakistanis and

the taliban. what will happen next is harder to say. there are other political parties who want to take a harder line. some wanting to block nato supply routes. the last time was in 2012. that is 201024 pakistani soldiers were killed in a u.s. air strike. when the blockade happened. the relationship between islamabad and washington hit an all-time low. islamabad was keen to avoid it but wanted to make sure that the peace process continues. it finds itself in a tricky situation with the death of hakimullah mehsud. >> malian refugees in mauritania claim that they are not receiving essential food supplies at the camp. there's a high rate of disease among children because of malnutrition. fighting between rebels and government forces erupted in

2012, an estimated 204,000 people have been displaced within the country. that's according to a u.n. refugee agency estimate. another 200,000 malleeans have found refuge in mauritania and other towns. northern mali and the people remaining there are found to be inaccessible due to the presence of heavily armed groups. we visited refugees on at the camp on the mauritania border. >> the school year at southern mauritania should have started on 1st october. the school is not ready. so this is where and how children spend their time. the other place is this one. at this medical center worried

mothers come to seek assistance for their sick babies. the number of cases related to malnutrition is alarming. many children are dying. this woman brought her daughter for caption, while in grief -- examination, while in grief for the death of her boy. >> translation: he fell sick, they gave him food bags, it helped him. i begged them to send him to another place, they refused. his health declined until he passed away. >> doctors without borders runs a special program in the capital. >> translation: since january we received a flow of refugees and registered a high amount of malnutrition amongst children. we have high rates of up to 300 cases admitted every month.

if nothing is down, they may die. >> the refugees blame it on relief organizations which refuse to supply milk and meat. >> my daughter fell sick due to the lack of milk. she drank milk from the livestock. when we came, she couldn't find it. the agency for refugees which is distributing the aid has this explanation? >> the amount of food distributed in the camp. minimum standard is 2,100 kilo calories of intake for refugees per day. we provide around, i think 2,200. two of the main things we don't distribute that is part of their natural diet is meat and milk. because there are hygiene rules and regulations. as if the lack of school and malnutrition were not enough, it's the children at the camp who do most of the hard work

required. or simply train for a future they imagine to be only one of war and confrontation. . a boat carrying 70 rohingya muslims capsized off the coast of myanmar. it's reported that... ..it boat was headed to bank when it went down in the bay of bengal. around 1500 people have fled myanmar in the past week. november is the time when people attempt to escape the country by boat as sees are usually calmer. >> ethnic rebels in myanmar agreed to start nationwide peace talks with the government. 17 armed groups have met for the past four days. nicole johnson reports - getting a truce to hold will not be easy. >> it's hoped the signing of

this draft plan will end more than 60 years of fighting. there are a lot of ifs. 17 armed groups decided they'll agree to a ceasefire with the government, if the government meets their conditions. it could be the first step towards a nationwide cease fire, if all the groups can stick to it. >> if one group is pressured by the government to sign, we should not allow it. it's unacceptable. our agreement is if we sign a ceasefire, we should be on the same side. >> some of the ethnic groups have been fighting for semiautonomy for decades. many living in camps for the eternally displaced. this woman fled when fighting flared up. she worries about the future with her granddaughter. we have seen the pictures of the two sides meeting for peace

talks and read the statement that we announced the top. when compared to reality, they don't want to give the people control. >> a ceasefire will only hold if everyone is part of it. >> the burmese government is talking about a nation-wide ceasefire. if not, we'll not be successful. security in the capital was tight during the talks. most people here want peace. they hope the government and rebel commanders will deliver it. >> in a few hours time more than 40,000 runners will take part informant new york city marathon. as kath turner reports the organizers are facing extra changes at the race. >> koupt down to race day. runners from around the world are ready for sunday's new york city marathon, and the way has been hanger thannure. last year hurricane sandy threw

everything into chaos. the marathon starting line is tonne staten island where 23 died in the storm. mayor michael bloomberg insisted that the race should go ahead because it pumped hundreds of millions into the economy. residents from furious. >> we are pulling bodies out of water. see the disconnect. >> less than 48 hours before the race was due to start. >> we'll not conduct the 2012 new york city marathon. >> compet stores complained about money spent an airfairs and accommodation. runners must raise $3,000 for a spot informant race. runners qualified for this year's race. fundraising was not compulsory. organizations were missing out. >> we doubled efforts on facebook, twitter, print

advertisement. every awareness vehicle we could get our hands on and afford - we came up short. >> last year this man raised money for charity but was uncomfortable asking friends and family to donate again. >> they were setting up the tents and generators and the food. next to the people that lost their homes. it was very appropriate. >> officials are not only dealing with financial shortfalls after the superstorm. the bomb explosions at the boston bomb explosions are having an knack on the race. >> closed-circuit television was crucial in identifying two brothers wanted for the attack. new york officials watched and will watch closely from headquarters. more police and counterofficers at central park, helicopter and bag checks. the race is not just about logistics. >> i think it will be emotional,

positive as we remember so many. >> alongside the tributes many hope after a troubled year the world famous marathon can get back on track. >> a reminder - you can keep up to date with the latest news on the website. aljazeera.com. why howard buffet, son of one of the world's richest men prefers blue jeans and a corn field to suits and ties in a boardroom. i'm ali velshi, this is "real money"